Unfinished Business
by Krashnburn
Summary: The reds and blues make their heroic stand aboard the Staff of Charon, and Tucker is given an unpleasant surprise. My take on what could have happened at the end of season 13. Rated T for some mature language.
1. Chapter 1

*CLANK*

The moment the door fell over, Tucker launched himself forward and kicked the door back into the hallway, knocking over several of the Charon soldiers. After seeing the large force outside he took cover to the side of the doorway and the rest of the reds and blues opened fire, mowing down the front ranks of the enemies. "MWUAHAHAHA, DIE YOU PATHETIC WEAKLINGS!" yelled O'Malley, who was enjoying the opportunity to engage in wanton slaughter.

"Target eliminated. Target eliminated. Target eliminated" Freckles repeated the same words over and over as Caboose fired burst after burst into the enemy ranks. Each hit founds its mark flawlessly, striking down an enemy with each burst.

 _Ok time to see what this suit can do_ , Tucker thought to himself. "Church, hey Church, what can we do with this suit?' There was short pause before an AI flashed in front of him, but it was not the one he was expecting, instead it was an AI glowing green.

"Hello Tucker, I must ask that you remain calm while I explain," it said to him, "I am a fragment of the AI unit Epsilon, my name is Delta."

Tucker was confused for a moment before responding. "Wait, what do you mean fragment? Where's Church?"

"Epsilon had to take drastic measures to ensure that all of you would have a chance at surviving. He left us behind to-"

"Hold on a second, what do you mean us? And what drastic measures are you talking about?" Then he looked around and saw everything had stopped, bullets were hovering in the air, soldiers were standing still, and nothing was moving. "Why is everything stopped?"

"One of the fragments is operating the time distortion unit so that we may carry out this conversation without interruption."

"How many of you are there?" Tucker asked.

As if to answer his question another AI unit flashed up, this one darker, and familiar somehow in a way that made him feel uneasy.

"Hello weakling."

In that moment Tucker recognized the voice and memories of years past came rushing back. "Omega!? What the hell are you doing here, they said you got fried with Alpha and the rest of the AI's!?"

Delta spoke up again, "If you would allow me to explain I can-"

"No!" Tucker yelled, "No more explaining, just tell me what happened to Church!"

Delta hesitated for a moment, it wasn't that the question was particularly difficult for him, but he knew that Tucker would not handle the answer well. "He's gone Tucker." There was a small pause before Tucker responded to the statement.

"What do you mean gone?"

"As he was, Epsilon was unable to run all the systems in this suit that would be required to guarantee the maximum chance of survival. In order to ensure that you would not fail, he deconstructed himself into fragments to run the suit's various systems. We are those fragments."

Then another AI popped up, a light blue human looking AI, not like Church though, but something different.

"Hurry up, it's difficult to maintain the time distortion unit." Said the AI in a robotic voice that Tucker knew in the same fashion as Omega.

"Gamma!? Damn it, first Omega and now Gamma, how the hell am I supposed to trust any of you!?"

Then yet another AI popped up, this one a mixture of red and blue colors. _Well fuck, now what_ , Tucker thought. "What now!?"

"Uh….. um… I um…." This AI sounded much gentler than the others, almost like a child even.

Tucker saw this one was different, his voice sounded like a child, nervous and afraid. He realized that this one was probably different from the others. "Sorry, but you haven't exactly caught me at the best time."

"Oh uh, OK." He said, still sounding shaky.

"What's your name?"

"Theta."

"And what do you do Theta?"

"I uh… well I can make shields."

 _Huh, he's a weird little guy, but he doesn't seem too bad._

Then another one popped up, this one appearing to be covered in fire.

"It's a pleasure to make your acquaintance, Tucker." he said. "You may call me Sigma."

Something about this particular AI gave him the creeps, but with everything going on he decided he'd deal with it later.

"OK, before we move on are there any more of you guys I need to know about?"

"There are two remaining fragments," Delta said, "Eta and Iota."

As if on cue, two more little lights popped up, one a golden color and another the same color as Tucker's armor. "Ready to get to work." They said in unison.

Tucker stood there taking it all in for what seemed like an eternity, he was trying to understand why Church had done this, was it really that necessary. Surely there had to be some other way, and leaving them with Gamma and Omega didn't seem like helping to him, and he didn't know these other AI. Sure, he had heard about them from the stories that he'd been told about how Washington and the reds and blues had chased down the Meta, but he didn't know them. More importantly he didn't know if he could trust them. Before he could put more thought to it, Gamma interrupted in his usual monotone voice. "The time distortion unit will not hold much longer, you must prepare to fight."

 _Well fuckberries, OK I'll sort it out later_. "OK, what are our options guys?"

Delta was the first to speak. "I would suggest activating the speed enhancement unit to increase the effectiveness of your melee combat."

"Ok, let's start with that then, but this conversation isn't over."

"We will explain everything to the best of our ability once the objective is completed." Delta said as the time distortion unit deactivated and Tucker took off running full speed with the suit giving him a boost forward. Delta guided him, telling him when to adjust and when to turn, and within moments he had cleared half the hallway.

"Shoot him! SHOOT HIM!" came a cry from the far end of the hallway. But before the rest of them could react, he vanished.

"Wh-where did he go?" One of them stuttered, afraid he would be next in the pile of bodies littering the hallway.

Then the one in charge spoke up, "Eye's peeled men, he's here somewh-", but before he could finish his statement, he was cut in half by a flash of light. Seeing this, the rest of the soldiers panicked and began to flee, afraid of the unseen enemy that was slaughtering them left and right. After a few moments, all of the soldiers had either run or died, and the reds and blues caught up to Tucker in the hallway.

"Dude that was awesome!" Grif said, but Tucker didn't hear him. He was more focused on what Delta had told him, Church was gone, and this time there there was no chance of getting him back. He felt angry, enraged, and in that moment he decided that there was one more thing he had to do before they left this ship. He started off walking swiftly, then picking up into a running pace, and before he knew it he had nearly caught up to the soldiers who were running away. He began to cut through their ranks as they were running in terror, but kept count of how many were left. He didn't know this ship, and know that F.I.L.S.S. was being inhibited by Chairman Hargrove, he had to find out where the bridge was another way.

 _I only need one_ , he thought to himself.

* * *

At that same moment, Washington and Carolina were currently disembarking from the pelican they had flown up to the Staff of Charon.

"Stay here and keep the extraction point secure." Carolina said to Kimball.

"You got it, just don't take too long." She replied.

The two freelancers proceeded into the interweaving network of crisscrossed hallways, trying to establish communications on the way.

"Again come in, Church, Sarge, Tucker, anyone do you read me?" Washington was repeating into his radio. "Can anyone hear me?"

This time he received a response. "Washington? It's a good thing you're here," he immediately recognized the voice as Simmons, "Tucker's run off, we can't find him and he isn't responding when we try to radio him."

"Which way was he-" before Washington could finish his sentence, they ran into a wave of Hargrove's men, only they weren't trying to attack them, they were running away. Furthest away was a soldier who was leaning against the door he had just closed behind him, pausing to catch his breath. Wanting to know what was going on, Carolina walked closer, weapons drawn and pointed at the worn out soldier. "Where are they?" she asked in a very impatient tone.

Before the frightened man could answer, there was a large metal banging sound, corresponding with a now fist shaped dent protruding from the steel door.

"AAAAAAH! He's gonna kill me!" he said, running towards Washington and Carolina not seeming to be afraid of the angry freelancer pointing two loaded weapons at him. Fazed slightly by the series of dents being formed in the door in front of them, they didn't give much thought to him as he ran by.

"Carolina?" Washington asked.

"Yeah Wash?"

"I'm a little worried now."

Before she could reply, one final punch sent the door flying, and the two freelancers dodged narrowly as it flew by. What emerged from the doorway was not what they expected, and more importantly, not possible. Carolina prepared to attack, but then hesitated when she saw the color of his armor, it was the same color as hers. Only one other person she knew had that color armor. "…Tucker?"

Washington did a double take, looking at him, then back to Carolina, then back to him. "What? How did you…"

"I'll explain later, right now I need to get to the bridge." He turned to the direction the soldiers were running and was about to head off.

Carolina was surprised. "The bridge? But Church said you guys needed an extraction." Then she saw him pause when he was about to take off. _Something's not right_ , she thought. Before she had the chance to ask, Tucker spoke up.

"Church is... he's not here anymore."

There was a long silence while Washington and Carolina tried to understand exactly what that meant. Washington was the first to speak up, "Not here? What do you mean, where is he?"

Tucker stood there for a few moments, and they could practically sense the anguish emanating from him. Then without facing them he spoke again, "Delta, go with them and tell them what happened, Gamma, run the speed unit." And before either of them could fully realize what was truly going on, he sped down the hallway and a moment later a green flash appeared before them. "Hello agent Carolina; agent Washington."

"Delta?" Washington asked.

"How are you here?" Carolina chimed in.

"I will explain on the way, but we must stop Tucker, he is in an emotionally unbalanced state and is liable to take actions of an extremely violent nature."

"What?" Carolina asked, confused.

"He wants to kill Hargrove," Washington guessed, "and I think I know why."


	2. Chapter 2

"Sarge, this is Washington, do you read me?"

"Hang on a sec Wash." He said, then turning to the soldier whose chest was under his boot. "Well son, you just got Sarge'd." and with that he implemented his brand of shotgun justice. Then he turned back on his radio and replied. "What is it Washington?"

"We found Tucker... sort of. Delta is here explaining what happened to us and-"

"Delta?" Simmons cut in, "What do you mean Delta?"

There was a pause before Washington spoke again. "Tucker didn't tell you?"

It was Grif's turn to speak up this time. "Nah he just ran off after he dealt with the first wave in this hallway. That dickhead left us to fight the next wave all by ourselves, Lopez's speech unit got hit, and Caboose got shot in the foot."

"I lost my other big toe." Caboose called out.

"Quit whining you big baby, now where's that aloe vera…" Doc said.

Sarge decided to get back to the main point. "Washington, how is Delta here and what is going on?"

"I'll explain later this… this is a conversation we need to have in person. Right now Carolina and I are trying to catch up with Tucker before it's too late."

"Too late?" Sarge queried. "What do you mean too late?"

"If he keeps running all his systems without taking a break he's going to eventually run out of power, and depending on where and when that happens it could be really bad."

"Alright then, we gotta find him, any leads?"

"None yet, but I think F.I.L.S.S. can help us find him."

"How? That chairman whats-his-face is keeping her from helpin' us."

"Don't worry about that. I have someone here who is really good with computers. Just be ready to go wherever she directs you to."

* * *

"Turn right in 8 seconds." The robotic voice said to him, and sure enough there was the corridor he was looking for. He was trying to find the shortest route to the bridge, and after removing one of the soldier's helmets Sigma was able to hack into it and get a layout of most of the ship. "Coming up on the loading bay." Gamma reminded him.

"Ok good, now from there we have to-" *BOOM* Tucker was cut off mid-sentence when he narrowly avoided being caught in an explosion, and looked to find the source of the ordinance. Now normally when seeing a tank barrel pointed at you it would illicit feelings of fear and panic, but with the help of several AI and a super-powered suit, Tucker was able to get to cover before the next volley came his way. _Fuck_ , he thought to himself. "Gamma can we use the time distortion unit to get past him?"

"Negative, that system is nearly overheated and increased use will result in a meltdown of the system."

"What about speed?"

"Negative"

 _Well fuck_ , he thought. "Ok new plan, Theta how many times can you block the tank's shots?"

"Three times, maybe four."

"Ok then, time the shields for when the tank fires, maybe it'll save more power." Peeking out again at the tank sitting in the open, he inhaled and let out a huge sigh. _Well, gotta do it some time_. "Now!" and with that he ran out towards the tank.

*BOOM*

 _One_ , he counted as he ran towards the tank.

*BOOM*

 _Two_ , he was just about halfway there when the second round fired, and he began to worry if he would make it.

*BOOM*

 _Three_ , he was almost there, just a little more.

"I don't have enough power for another one." Said Theta.

 _Damn it, gotta make this count then_. He was almost right on top of the tank when the barrel fired one last time.

*BOOM*

Only to miss, as he barely made it under the barrel and avoided the impact. Keeping his momentum, he proceeded up onto the tank and began to punch his way through to the driver's compartment. After beating his way through and disposing of the driver, he continued on his way to the bridge, not wanting to waste any time in his vengeance. However, before he reached the next doorway a voice called out to him.

"Tucker!"

He turned around to see that Carolina had caught up to him.

"You need to stop, you don't know the full capabilities of the suit and if you're not careful you could-"

"NO!" Tucker screamed, "I can't just stop and let him live after what happened! He needs to pay!"

"Tucker…" She knew how he was feeling, he was angry and he wanted revenge. She had been down that road and she knew it didn't end well. "Don't."

Then Gamma flashed up again speaking to Tucker, "The speed unit is ready."

He turned to Carolina, "I have to do this."

"No you don't!" she replied. "If you go through with this you will never be the person you were before. Yes Hargrove is a murderer and a monster, but if you do this you will only be lowering yourself to his level."

"But something has to be done…" he trailed off

"I know, but this isn't the way to do it Tucker."

There was a long pause between them before Carolina spoke up again. "You know, Wash met up with the reds and blues, he's explained to them what's going on. It's hit them all pretty hard. Caboose won't stop asking when Church is coming back."

 _Shit_ , he thought to himself. He had been so angry and in such a hurry that he had forgotten about them. "Are any of them hurt?" he asked.

"Lopez got muted and Caboose lost his big toe, but other than that they're fine."

Tucker chuckled a little bit then, _His big toe? Heh._

"What?" Carolina asked.

"It's nothing, just… back in our days in Blood Gulch Caboose got shot in the foot and lost his big toe then too."

"You think a lot about those times don't you." It was more of a statement than a question, she knew that her time at project freelancer would always stay strong in her memories. It made sense that he would hang on to similar thoughts.

"Yeah, I just…"

Before he could finish his thought a radio signal cut in on both their helmets, "Guys if you can hear me you need to hurry up, the extraction point is under attack and I don't think we can hold much longer."

Carolina responded, "Just hold on Kimball, we're coming." She turned to Tucker. "Are you coming?"

The question struck cord in his mind, what was he doing here? Going after revenge with all this hate? It wasn't like him. After several moments he had his answer. "Yeah, we need to make sure everyone else is safe."

"Good." Carolina was relieved, she wasn't sure if she could handle him in a straight up fight. Even if he wasn't as experienced a soldier, he knew how to fight, and the suit didn't help things either. "Let's get going then."

"Shouldn't be too hard, I didn't leave too many guys behind me." He said, and then they ran back down the hallway to find their friends.

* * *

 **I wasn't sure at first if I wanted this story to complete as a revenge story or whether to take it further. I have some ideas, possibly a series to continue that still involve the Chairman vs the reds, blues, and freelancers. I do intend to give some more attention to multiple characters, just not all in the same chapter, and through it all Tucker will be the main focus of this series. I'm glad to know that there are others who enjoy this as much as I do. I love the RvB universe, and even though the season 13 ending was amazing, it left my imagination running wild in all directions. This is the first fanfiction I've written, and I hope that you all continue to enjoy it.**


	3. Chapter 3

By the time Carolina and Tucker arrived at the dock where Kimball and the others were waiting with the pelican, there were bullets flying everywhere. They ran into the cover that Washington and the rest of the gang were at.

"Wash give me a sit-rep." Carolina said.

"Not good," he replied, "there are at least 10 times as many of them as there are us, and they're packing some serious hardware too. If we don't leave soon the pelican may not hold up much longer under all the fire."

 _Damn it_ , Tucker thought to himself, _this is my fault, if I hadn't been so stupid…_

Sensing his thoughts, Carolina placed a hand on his shoulder. "It's not your fault, none of us were prepared for this."

"OK," Sarge spoke up, "We got about 50 feet between us and the pelican, any suggestions?"

"Theta," Tucker said, "how many shields can you give us?"

"If they're fast I can probably get two or 3 at a time." The young AI replied.

"OK, Sarge and Simmons you two go first." Carolina ordered.

"On it," replied the gruff red leader, "you heard her Simmons, double-time!"

"Right behind you sir!"

"Covering fire!" Carolina yelled. The rest of them followed her lead and began to try and make the passing easier for the two reds. Theta was true to his word and they both had enough shields to keep them safe during the crossing.

"Made it." Sarge said over the radio. "We'll cover the entrance here, so you better hurry up."

"Right," Washington said, "Donut, Lopez, you two go next."

"Right away!" Donut replied, chipper as ever. The two of them ran across as well while Theta once again activated the shielding unit to ensure that they would complete the journey unharmed.

They repeated the process again sending Grif and Doc across, then Theta spoke to Tucker again.

"The shield unit won't last much longer." He said.

"Shit." Tucker thought to himself out loud. "How many more can you do?"

"Three more if I focus."

"OK, cover Caboose, Wash, and Carolina." He said.

"What about you?" Wash said with more than a little concern in his voice.

"I still have some juice left in the speed unit."

"Are you sure that's a good idea?

"Not much of a choice, it's the only way."

Carolina left a small pause before her reply. "OK, let's do it. Wash follow me and keep Caboose with you."

"On it boss." He said, making sure Caboose was keeping up with him all the way.

When they reached the other side Tucker let out a long sigh, _this is such a bad idea_.

"OK then, time to go." and with the help of his AI he activated the speed units in his suit, making a dash for the pelican. At the speed he was going, the enemy soldiers couldn't aim properly at him, and it seemed the plan would work. Then, 5 feet short of the pelican, a lucky shot hit Tucker in his left shoulder. He cried out in pain as the round made contact with flesh through the armor, and Carolina panicked as she saw Tucker collapse.

"Tucker!" she screamed, grabbing him and carrying him into the ship. "Kimball we need to go now, Tucker's wounded!"

"Pilot take us out of here!" Kimball yelled to the front cabin.

"OK," Dr. Grey said, "Now let's see about that little bullet wound of yours." She set to tending to his wound as they were taking off, dozens of bullets bouncing off the hull of the craft. Carolina walked over to Tucker to check on him. "How is he?" she asked.

"Well," she spoke up in her usual chipper, and slightly psychotic, tone, "while the wound itself isn't too serious, his body is under an extreme amount of stress right now so he's passed out. Don't worry though, he'll be fine." Her reassurance did nothing to calm Carolina. They'd already lost Church, she didn't want to lose anyone else. As they flew away from the ship, the pilot notified the crew on board of a new development. Kimball was the first to speak.

"What's going on?" she said into the radio.

"The ship, it's preparing for a slip-space jump!" the pilot replied hastily.

"What!? Why!?"

Then a communication came through, the signal had originated from the Staff of Charon. "You soldiers cause no end of trouble to me, but I will not go down so easily."

Carolina, still angry, was the first to respond. "You bastard, you think you can really get away? The entire UNSC knows what you've done. You won't be getting away this time."

"Oh on the contrary agent Carolina, I am very confident that I can. I have many associates in the dark corners of the galaxy, places where even the UNSC will hesitate to go, and I promise you, my every waking moment will be devoted to ensuring that you will never feel safe again, because as long as you are alive, I will never leave you be." The communication ended when his ship jumped into slip-space.

"Damn it!" Carolina said, slamming her fist into the side of the hull. She was furious, had it all been for nothing? Had they fought so hard to take down Hargrove only for him to get away? Then when her anger was about to get the best of her, she heard Tucker speak.

"Damn Carolina, why you gotta be so loud? How's a guy supposed to sleep around here?"

That broke her train of thought completely, and despite the situation, she couldn't help but let out a small chuckle and a grin. Then she walked over to where he was now standing up and put a hand on his good shoulder. "How you holding up? That bullet nailed you pretty hard."

He let out a chuckle of his own before quickly replying, "That's what she said. Bow chicka bow wow." and despite the fact that she usually couldn't stand when he used that joke, Carolina couldn't help but let out a stronger laugh, glad that no one else was going to be lost that day. Then a certain brainless blue spoke up, "Hey guys, where is Church?"

That one sentence broke both of them out of the moment, and they recalled what had happened. Carolina was the first to break the silence, "Should I tell them or do you want to?"

Before Tucker could reply, Delta appeared and spoke instead. "Actually, he left a recording behind intended for you to watch, I can begin playback of it now if you would like."

"Go ahead." Carolina said.

"Beginning playback." He played the recording, and all throughout Carolina could notice that Tucker was struggling to contain his emotions. Donut wasted no time breaking out into a fit of tears, with Doc being shoulder to cry on. Grif went for his usual coping mechanism of stress eating (how he always managed to have food on his person was anyone's guess), while Simmons was working on fixing Lopez's speech unit. Washington never turned to face the image of Church during the playback. Sarge and Caboose simply sat there in silence, staring intently at the recording the whole time. By the time the recording had finished, they had landed at the rebel base and the rear door on the pelican opened up, and all around them were the sounds of cheering Chorus citizens. Yet the cheers and the praises did nothing to lift the somber mood that the group now found themselves in.

They walked through the crowd to the barracks, eager for a quiet place to mull over their thoughts. They each spent a while in their respective rooms, trying to truly grasp the situation. Sure they had lost Church before, Epsilon was technically just a memory of him, but the fact that they lost him twice made it difficult to accept. One by one they emerged into the common room and simply sat there in silence, waiting for everyone else to come out. The last to emerge was Tucker, and then Carolina was the first to break the silence.

"So… he's really gone." She said, still trying to convince herself that this wasn't a nightmare.

"Looks that way." Washington said.

Then Tucker spoke, "I hope that son of a bitch rots in prison."

Carolina just realized something then. He was unconscious during the communication, he didn't know. "Tucker… I need you to stay calm while I tell you this." There was a distinct pause while she let out a long sigh. "Hargrove got away."

Whatever reaction she had expected, him punching a hole straight through the wall was definitely not it. "What do you mean he got away!?"

"His ship jumped to slip-space before the UNSC got here, and they can't track his ship. He's gone into one of the dark sectors, where the government has next to no influence."

"So you mean everything we did, the fighting, the message, boarding his ship, all that was for nothing!?"

"No!" she yelled. It worried her what this was doing to him. "We saved a planet and exposed a dangerous criminal! We all miss Church, but he did what he had to in order to save you, all of you." After that last statement the room remained quiet for a long time again. Then Tucker walked towards the exit.

"I'm going to the training area." He said before the door shut behind him.

Carolina looked around the room, trying to see if there was anyone else who could talk to Tucker and calm him down. Caboose was having his own trouble coping, Doc kept flipping back between his alter egos, and the reds weren't exactly the closest people to Tucker. Washington might have known Tucker for a while, but when it came to Epsilon he seemed to be a little distant. _It's up to me then I guess_ , she thought. Before leaving she turned to Washington, "Keep an eye on Caboose." He replied with a simple nod, and then she left to go find Tucker.

* * *

 **I wasn't sure at first if i wanted it to develop into an aftermath story or if I wanted to make it a chase into the dark corners of space. I felt that this way made it more exciting, but I'm worried if it feels a bit too cliched for the criminal to get away at the last moment. Thank you guys who are reading this and I hope you enjoyed this chapter.**

 **Also please let me know if there are any details being used improperly here, I'm attempting to the best of my knowledge to keep the characters as canon as possible, so suggestions and/or comments on this are appreciated.**


	4. Chapter 4

"Again." Tucker said to the alien AI Santa. Ever since they had sent the communication from the temple, he had spread himself through all of the computer systems in the planet. It had been helpful in organizing the citizens of Chorus in the wake of the recent conflict.

"You have run this simulation many times already, I would suggest that you take a moment to rest."

"I don't care what you suggest, run it again." He said, this time with anger in his voice.

"… Very well."

As he resumed his harsh new training, he was unaware of another presence in the observation booth on the other side of the room. Carolina stood there observing him for what seemed like an eternity. She recalled how years ago, when her anger took hold of her, that she was in his position while York was in hers. That memory brought on a pang of regret. He had tried his best to save her from herself, but she allowed herself to be blinded by her rage, and everyone she knew paid for it.

A voice spoke up from behind her, "How long's he been there?"

Carolina turned to see that it was Kimball. "It's been a good few hours by now, I only just got here a few minutes ago myself."

Kimball walked up to stand next to her. "It's really hit him hard, hasn't it?"

"Yeah… Church was close to all of us. I just wish there was something I could do."

"Why not just go talk to him?"

"I'm not exactly a people person, you know."

"Maybe not, but you're here. Don't let doubt hold you back like I did."

Carolina was confused for a moment, "What do you mean?"

Kimball let out a long sigh before responding, "When Doyle gave his life to save us at Armonia, I found myself feeling regret. I had always said hateful things to him, and in all the time we were there, I never once tried to properly talk to him. If not for that damn war, who knows, we could have been friends. Now that I'll never have that chance, I regret it. Don't hesitate, just reach out to him." When she finished speaking, she turned around and left.

Carolina thought about Kimball's words. She knew that Kimball was right, and decided to go out to the floor to talk to him.

"Hey." She said. Immediately he turned to her, his motions being rather stiff. _He's tense_ , she thought.

"What do you want?" he asked.

"For you to calm down." He began to turn away when she raised her voice. "You only just got that suit, if you keep pushing yourself like this you'll hurt yourself. You need to rest."

Still frustrated, he lashed out. "No I don't! I can't! Not while he's still out there! I have to get stronger, to get better!" Then he let out a scoff. "Not that you'd understand. You're Agent Carolina, the badass freelancer. How could you understand what it feels like to be weak and useless!?"

As soon as he finished his rant, she slammed her fist into his face, knocking him flat on his back. Several seconds passed before she spoke to him. "I know exactly how it is to feel weak. I know the pain of feeling useless. I've lost friends who were as close as family, and damn it I'm not going to lose you too!" By the time she finished scolding him, she was on the verge of tears. It had been years since she had gotten this emotional. _Damn it Carolina, you're supposed to be helping him, not have a breakdown_ , she thought to herself. As she felt her eyes welling up, she saw an aquamarine blur walk towards her and then the most unexpected thing happened. He hugged her. Any other day, she would have beaten him into a pulp, but in that moment, all she could do was cry as all the painful memories resurfaced. Tucker, his anger fading, just stood there quietly while she let it all out.

Neither was sure how much time had passed, but once it was over, Tucker released his embrace before speaking up. "I'm sorry, I just… You OK?"

"Yeah…" she let out a soft chuckle, "I thought I was over this after we found the director." Then there was a pause before she spoke again. "Now, come on. We could both use a little rest, it's been a hard day." Then realizing what she'd just said, she braced herself for his inappropriate catch-phrase, only to be surprised when it never came. She stood there staring at him for a time before he spoke up.

"What?" he asked.

"No witty one-liner?"

"Oh… I guess it slipped my mind."

She started laughing at that, "If you're missing a chance at you're famous catchphrase then you really ARE tired, go get some sleep."

"But-"

"Tucker, you have two choices: either you go and rest willingly, or I knock you out and carry you to the barracks."

"OK OK, I'll go. God knows I don't wanna be on the receiving end on one of your punches again."

"Oh come on, that was just a love tap." Tucker almost tripped mid-step when she said that. "Come on, let's get you to bed." She said while laughing at his response.

"Is that an order or an invitation?"

"Nice try."

"Meh, just thought I'd ask." Finished talking, they both walked back towards the barracks, and by the time they arrived, Tucker felt like he was ready to pass out. "Damn I really do need to go to sleep."

"Good night." She said, getting ready to retire to her own quarters.

"Carolina."

"Yeah Tucker?"

"Could you… could you help me with my training? You know these systems better than I do and you're the best fighter I know."

A smile came to her face, and she felt grateful that her helmet was hiding it. "Sure. See you in the morning."

* * *

 **Hello again, so for anyone wondering, yes I am (sort of) shipping Tucker and Carolina as a couple. I'm not sure what exactly would be a good nickname for that ship.**

 **But yes, in relation to Carolina, I felt that Washington is too much of a younger brother figure, and Tucker has had more interactions with Carolina than the rest of the reds and blues, and with some of the similarities that appear (and no, I don't just mean their armor color) it just seemed like they'd have a lot of common ground to work with.**

 **Hope you enjoyed the chapter.**


	5. Chapter 5

That morning, they awoke to the smell of eggs and the shouting of a certain orange soldier. "For the last time Donut, you can't use tofu in place of the bacon!"

"Why not? I already compromised by preparing some of my nice, big, juicy sausage."

"Damn it Donut…"

"What in the samhill is goin' on in here?" Sarge asked as he walked into the room, brewing a pot of coffee while awaiting an answer.

"Donut's trying to poison us with this fake meat." Grif replied.

Sarge let out a grunted sigh, "Donut, what did I say about puttin strange stuff into our meals?"

"That I had to get at least two people to agree to eat it, and that they had to survive."

"That's right… who'd you convince?"

"Doc and Grey." He replied, pointing to the two medics eating in the mess hall.

"You fiend," O'Malley said, "how can you eat this filth!?"

"Now O'Malley," Doc said in a stern tone," I may let you do all the fighting, but when it comes to good health and nutrition, I will put my foot down."

"Oh please, you don't have the balls to d- no, no, NOOOO!" he screamed as he was forced by his alter-ego to eat the abomination.

"Oh this is such a wonderful breakfast!" Dr. Grey said, cheery and excited as always. "Also, being able to observe you like this is FASCINATING!"

Back in the kitchen, more people were entering. "Agent Washingtub! Can I have some orange juice?"

"YES! You've asked me that question five times already and the answer was yes each time before that so just go and get it already!"

"Ok… can I also have-"

"YES! Now just get some breakfast and sit down!"

After Caboose shuffled away with some food, Washington let out a long sigh. Then, noticing the horrid substance where bacon should have been, he turned to the rest of them in the kitchen. "What is that?"

"Oh!" Donut perked up, "That right there is tofu!"

After a long pause, Washington responded with a slight disgust in his voice, "That has got to be the worst food ever… of all time."

"Donut," Sarge said, coffee mug in hand, "if you cook a meal like this again, I'll put someone else on mess duty in your place. Hopefully someone more competent, like Simmons." Almost on cue, the maroon soldier entered the kitchen.

"You can count on me sir!"

"Simmons…" Grif groaned, "how can you kiss ass so early in the morning."

"Can it moron." Sarge said, picking up the coffee pot and two mugs. "I'm gonna go see if those two are back from their little trip." With that he left, headed towards the front entrance to check up on the pair of aquamarine soldiers.

* * *

Tucker collapsed on his back, exhausted from several miles of running. Carolina had insisted on standard cardio and muscle workouts to go along with the combat training so that he could properly adjust to use the suit. He felt as if he had run halfway across the planet by the time they got back. Looking over at Carolina, he noticed that she seemed to be hardly tired at all from the trip. After regaining his breath, he spoke up.

"You really know how to put a guy on his back."

Carolina let out a nice calm laugh. "What's the matter Tucker, are you intimidated by a girl who can last longer than you?"

 _Damn_ , he thought, _this keeps up and she'll be beating me at my own game_. She offered a hand to him, and after helping him up, they made their way back. As they neared the building, they saw Sarge standing right outside the door.

"Been waitin for you two to get back, thought you could use some of this." He said, gesturing to the coffee and mugs in his hands.

"Thanks." Carolina said as she poured herself some liquid nourishment. Tucker did the same and then she spoke to him. "Let's get some breakfast first, then we'll move on to combat training."

"Careful in there," Sarge said, "Donut's tryin to use this weird vegetable shit as a bacon substitute. I may have to take him off mess duty if this keeps up. You blues know anyone who can cook?"

"Which way's the kitchen?" Tucker asked, gaining a quizzical glance from Carolina.

"Just follow the shouting." Sarge replied. Afterwards Tucker headed inside, and Sarge remained enjoying the morning breeze with his cup of coffee. He let out a long, comfortable sigh before addressing Carolina. "Get on after him now, little lady, just try not to break him."

"No promises," Carolina said in a mischievous tone before heading inside.

When she arrived at the kitchen, she was surprised by what she saw. He'd already set up in the kitchen, going back and forth between different pots and pans on the stove. To her it seemed as if it came natural to him. "I didn't know you could cook." She said with a sly grin on her face. He returned the smile with one of his own.

"Now what kind of gentleman would I be if I couldn't cook a romantic dinner for all the fine ladies out there?"

Not long after breakfast was saved and Sarge talked Tucker into taking over mess duty, he and Carolina made their way to the combat training area. The rest of the crew followed behind, making bets on the sidelines.

"20 bucks says he goes down in 3 minutes." Grif said.

"Eh, I'll give it two minutes." Simmons replied.

Washington chimed in. "Come on guys, let's be a little realistic about this. It'll probably be half a minute."

Hearing the conversation while they were gearing up, Tucker let out a long sigh.

"Thanks guys, you're really boosting my confidence here."

"Don't worry," Carolina said mischievously, "I'll start slow for you."

 _Damn_ , he thought, _if not for the fact that she would kick my ass_ … he never had time to complete his thought as Carolina began the bout and he was doing all he could just to keep up. For every punch he threw, she returned with 2 or 3. After a few exchanges he tried to disengage for a moment, "Damn, you hit almost as hard as Tex did."

"Well, I always WAS the best." She responded, quickly closing the distance he tried to put between them. The hand-to-hand combat continued, and though he lasted a long time, _bow chicka bow wow_ , he fell prey to a single swift punch to the shoulder that he was unable to dodge in time. It didn't send him far, but it was far enough to knock him to the ground.

"Damn, you know how to throw a punch." He said after standing back up.

"You aren't half bad yourself." She replied. "Now let's try again using the AI this time."

"You sure? It's only been a little while since you got Eta and Iota."

"I'm sure, after all I'm more used to having AI than you are anyway."

"Good point. Let's do it."

Both of them set to running system diagnostics, Carolina with her AI, and Tucker with Delta and Theta. He wasn't up to trusting Omega or Gamma yet, even if they were supposed to be more docile because of Church's influence, and Sigma still gave him the creeps, so he had the three of them shut down for a while until he figured out what to do with them. After only a couple moments, the systems check was complete and they both decided to activate their speed units first. It was similar to their first bout, except now they were striking at each other at impossible speeds, and the calculations being fed to their helmets were ensuring that neither of them landed a blow on the other.

Tucker was the first to break away, dodging Carolina while trying to come up with a new strategy. Then an idea struck him. "Theta, I need you to make me a clone when I tell you. Delta, hit the invisibility right as it happens to make it less noticeable."

"Tucker," Delta replied, "there is a chance that Agent Carolina will detect your ruse."

"I know, that's why before you activate the invisibility you'll also throw up the bubble shield, the flash of light should give you guys the moment to do the rest with a lower risk right?"

"…Possibly."

"OK then, do it in 3… 2… 1." And as soon as he finished counting down, the bubble shield went up, the light was flashed, and his decoy was up while he was wandering around unseen. He went around to try and get a flanking strike on Carolina. He delivered a straight punch to the side of her helmet, only for there to be no resistance of any kind where the aquamarine freelancer should have been.

"What the-" Before he even finished his sentence, a roundhouses kick from behind him struck the side of his head, and he was once again laid out on his back. He watched as her own camouflage deactivated and she offered him a hand up.

"Well done, but while you tried to distract me you also lost focus on what I was doing. Never let your enemy out of your sight for a moment, or they can easily get the upper hand." She paused for a time, giving him time to evaluate his tactics and think it over. "We'll stop here for today, go get a shower and then I'll teach you more about AI in the barracks."

"OK, see you after then." He replied.

Now that the show was over, the rest of the crew left to each do their own thing for the rest of the day. Tucker went back to the barracks, and after he cleaned off the workout sweat, he found himself thinking about the fight on the Staff of Charon again. _Damn it_ , he chastised himself, _gotta get past that, what's done is done_.

"You alright?" Carolina said as she saw him leave the men's locker room. There was a significant pause while he tried to answer. Before he could, she beat him to it. "It's about Church, isn't it?"

He let out a sigh before replying, "Yes. Damn it, yes."

"If you want, we can put off AI studies until tomorrow."

"No!" he said, confusing her as well as himself with how quickly he replied, "No it's alright, I could use something to take my mind off it. Besides, it'd be nice to have someone to talk to right now."

She had a gentle smile on her face when she spoke again. "OK then, follow me and we'll get started."

* * *

 **Hey again. For this chapter I felt that it was time to give more dialogue for the rest of the team, as well as trying to bring things up to a more happy mood. I will admit, the whole training bit with Carolina and Tucker is partially inspired by a very similar situation between RWBY characters Pyrrha and Jaune. Though it was not the original reason I set it up like this, it did feel like it would fit very well, given how Tucker, while an experienced soldier, is still unused to Agent Maine's suit, while Carolina is extremely proficient in the use of freelancer equipment and AI.**

 **I hope you enjoyed the chapter, and that you'll continue to comment about your likes and dislikes concerning the story progression.**


	6. Chapter 6

**Heyo, I realize it's been a while since I updated this. Sorry about that, life getting in the way and all that nonsense (I swear, real life is a drag, all sorts of boring nonsense gets in the way, but I digress). I'm still not entirely sure where I will progress with this story in the next chapter, but as always I look forward to what you have to say about it, and I hope you like it.**

* * *

All he could hear was the sound of weapons fire all around. He was running through the battlefield to try and find his friends. He saw them a few meters ahead, but as he raised his hand to wave at them, a mortar round whistled through the air and impacted their location. The explosion knocked him on his back with his ears still ringing. After he stood up, his heart sank as soon as he saw the scattered remains of his allies.

"This is your fault." He turned to hear who had spoken to him, which only caused his emotional state to deteriorate even more. It was Church. "You were supposed to protect them. What use was my sacrifice if you just let them die!?"

He tried to respond, but when his mouth opened there was no sound.

"What's the matter, no snarky comments? No smart ass remarks? All you're good at is talking and you can't even do that?"

His grief shot down with each passing moment, and just when he thought it couldn't get any worse, Church began to fade while giving one last insult.

"I never should have had faith in you."

* * *

Tucker woke in a cold sweat, tears rolling down his face. He sat up with his head in his hands. _Just a dream_ , he thought.

"You OK?" a voice called out. Instantly he raised his right hand and a bright glow filled the room. He had no idea at what point he had gotten a hold of his sword, but at that moment the sense of safety it gave him removed any curiosity on the matter. Then he turned to see the person who had spoken, standing in the doorway.

"Carolina." He let out the breath that he hadn't realized he'd been holding. Powering down his weapon, he rose from his bed and grabbed a shirt to put on.

Now normally Tucker would have all types of witty catchphrases to respond to a female visit in the middle of the night. This time however, he just stood there silently.

"I heard some shouting and came to see what it was." She said, a look of concern visibly obvious on her face.

"It's nothing, just a bad dream." He said.

"Wanna talk about it?"

A few moments passed before he responded. "It's just… why me? Even with you and Wash around, I constantly wind up being the one who's responsible for making sure everyone stays safe, and yet even with the new suit I still don't think I can do that. I mean, you guys are way better fighters than I am, and at this rate I'll only end up getting people-" he was cut off as he heard a loud smack followed by a stinging sensation on his cheek. Coming to his senses, he saw Carolina's arm still stretched out post-slap.

"Tucker, Church chose you. His faith was placed in you. Not me, Wash, or anyone else, but you. You were his best friend, and he believed that you would keep everyone safe, and that's exactly what you'll do."

Though his mood had improved somewhat, he still had a sad tone in his voice. "What if I'm not strong enough?"

She placed a hand on his shoulder and gave him a soft smile. "Then get stronger."

After a few deep breaths, he finally cracked a smile. "Thanks Carolina."

She let out a short laugh, "Don't thank me yet, I'll be stepping up the training regimen from here on."

His response was a nervous chuckle, "Well, see you in the morning."

"Good night Tucker." She said before leaving the room.

Returning to his bed, he immediately felt much calmer. His dreams then proceeded in a direction which will not be described in detail, save for the fact that there were several women involved and various interesting positions.

* * *

"Oho shit, I regret this already." He said as he felt like his legs were on fire.

"Come on, two more miles and we'll take a break." Said Carolina, a few meters ahead of him. They had been running for most of the morning, not once dropping the pace. For the first few miles, Tucker had been amusing himself by taking glances at her posterior. After a while though, he began to feel the strain on his lungs, and his legs had gotten sore. Several miles later and here he was wheezing with his knees practically screaming their plight.

A few minutes later, Carolina stopped next to a waterfall, with Tucker collapsing on the spot next to her. "Here," she said, handing him a bottle of water, "we'll wait a few more minutes before moving on."

After he took the bottle, he drank as if he were practically dying of thirst, only stopping when he heard her laughing. "You know, when I said I wanted to get stronger, I didn't exactly imagine you throwing me into this killer workout."

"Relax, you'll live. Besides, ladies love a man with abs."

It was his turn to laugh. "Ha, the only ladies I know are Jenkins, Kimball, and you. Jenkins has something going on with Palomo, and Kimball… I guess she still hasn't quite gotten over what happened to Doyle." There was long pause before Carolina spoke up.

"Nothing to say about me?"

"Heh, no thanks, I choose life."

"You really don't have anything to say about me on this subject?"

There was a pause and a look of concern on his face before he replied.

"Well… I do, but… I don't think it'd be a good idea to bring it up."

"What makes you say that?"

Tucker let out a long sigh before responding. "Church told me a lot about you and the rest of project freelancer when we first bailed him out of the storage unit. What you guys did, some of the more crazy missions, and… he told me about York."

There was a significant pause, Carolina's face a mixture of surprise and regret. "Oh… I… I see."

"I'm sorry, I shouldn't have said anything."

"It's… it's ok, it was a long time ago."

"Still, it's hard to get over something like that."

Several minutes of awkward silence passed as they were both afraid to look each other in the eye. Then Tucker stood up and tossed his bottle back to Carolina. "Alright, how much longer do we have to run?" he said, trying to keep a smile on his face. He was happy to see that she quickly returned to her usual countenance, giving him a mischievous smirk as she responded.

"As long as it takes for you to catch up." She said, dashing off with a loud laugh as she turned to see him chase after her.

"Damn Carolina. You sure you're not trying to kill me?"

"Oh trust me," she said in an upbeat voice, "you would know if I was trying."

He simply let out one last sigh before committing fully to a run. _This is going to be a long day_ , he thought to himself.


End file.
